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Can Mobile Panic Buttons Replace Public Emergency Phone Systems?

MyForce is an advanced security app changing the face of personal safety. MyForce is a subscription-based app that launches a mobile panic button for emergencies. Members are urged to arm themselves with this safeguard during solitary walks, at night or in desolate areas.

"There are so many incidents where you are out late at night or out in a lone parking lot and you're walking around and just feel unsafe," Co-founder Brad Zotti tells Mashable. "It's the blue light emergency phone that you can take around with you on smart phone."

There are tons of emergency alert apps on iOS, Android and BlackBerry platforms, but MyForce is uniquely effective. Here's why — other GPS security apps such as Silent Bodyguard or the Red Panic Button send messages to the users' phone contacts. The MyForce app, on the other hand, sends reports to 24/7 alarm monitors who will connect to 911 dispatchers after an emergency is validated.

When the MyForce button is pressed, the user's phone begins recording audio. Trained dispatchers validate emergencies from listening to real-time audio. This is a safeguard to make sure no erroneous calls are sent to local first responders. The monitoring company is registered in all 50 states, maintaining trust with local first responders. MyForce reports are taken seriously.

MyForce can access a user's name, address, full physical description and emergency contact list, and provide that data to the police. Users are encouraged to list safety issues in their system profiles — experiences with violence or abuse, for example — plus allergies, medications and health issues. Profile information is secure and only accessed when there's an emergency reported.

If a call for help is sent out by accident, users have the option to call in and cancel the alert. Personal identification numbers must be provided to cancel a request. The operators will also call members to make sure it's not a true emergency. At this time, employees will ask for the specified pre-arranged "Safe Word." If the safe word is wrong, they will respond to the call because the user might be in trouble — or forced to cancel the alert.

Campus police departments are turning to MyForce to reinforce university security. MyForce is currently being used in conjunction with campus blue light systems. However, there are schools considering removing their outdoor emergency phone systems completely due to high maintenance costs and low usage rates. This opens the door to mobile apps becoming the main public safety tool in the future.

Bakersfield College in California recently removed the campus blue light system. Now, students use their cellphones to report emergencies. Hundreds of illegitimate calls were placed using the phone system over a span of 20 years, the report says. Only one true emergency call was ever placed using the blue light system.

Three universities including the University of Colorado — Colorado Springs currently partners with MyForce. MyForce offers school faculty and students a discount on regular $11.99 monthly or $119.99 yearly subscriptions. All emergencies within school borders are turned over to campus police.

"We feel MyForce has thought of all of these limitations and has come up with effective ways to solve these limitations," Jim Spice, University of Colorado's chief of police, says. "With MyForce, a cell phone can be used, which is mobile and right with the student, but additionally the MyForce application can be active on the main screen so all one would need to do is press a button and emergency responders will be notified."

When University of Colorado students on campus press the MyForce security button, emergency responders will contact the on-campus police department. GPS tracking helps the officers find callers quickly, and continually monitors someone who reports a problem. "We see this as a very important feature should the subscriber be abducted," Spice says.

Quincy University in Illinois also uses the MyForce app in tandem with current security systems. Sam Lathrop, the school's director of Safety and Security, says with over 97% of incoming freshman owning smartphones, mobile security apps were the best bet. Next year, the university is hoping to include of the cost of the app and web platform in the student's tuition.

"We don't have staff that will be able to consistently monitor the alerts, although during the day, myself or the assistant director will have the application monitoring up on our office computers," Lathrop says. The MyForce system helps Quincy University security officers provide round-the-clock emergency response without doubling the staff.

Would you pay a monthly subscription fee to access a mobile panic button? Tell us if you think security apps will replace blue light emergency phone systems on college campuses.

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is a leading source for news, information and resources for the Connected Generation. Mashable reports on the importance of digital innovation and how it empowers and inspires people around the world. Mashable's record 42 million unique visitors worldwide and 21 million social media followers are one of the most influential and engaged online communities. Founded in 2005, Mashable is headquartered in New York City with an office in San Francisco.